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Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of Georgia’s authoritarian ruling party, was sworn in as president of the Caucasus country, sparking further protests in the capital Tbilisi.
Kavelashvili’s inauguration marks the latest step in what critics say is a state capture by pro-Russian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream party has taken control of all the country’s institutions since coming to power in 2012. The sole candidate for the role was elected this month by a college of 300 members, mostly GD members or sympathizers.
Demonstrators took to the streets with red cards – a symbol of their opposition to the former footballer. a striker for Manchester City and several Swiss clubs became ultra-nationalist arsonists.
Protesters, who have been holding daily rallies over the past month as the country’s political crisis escalated, welcomed the US State Department’s move to impose sanctions on Ivanishvili. He said he was affected by the measures announced on Friday because they “undermine the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia in favor of the Russian Federation.”
Leaving the Orbeliani Palace, the presidential residence, on Sunday, Salome Zurabishvilithe country’s outgoing president and de facto opposition leader, emphasized that she remains the holder of the office in the country.
In a speech to Georgians gathered outside the palace, she condemned Kavelashvili’s inauguration as a “parody” and reiterated her loyalty to “the country and the people.” . . I will leave here with you and stay with you.”
Zurabishvili was unsure whether to barricade herself in the palace or leave, several people familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. She said that too she wouldn’t resign until new elections were held, arguing that the college, dominated by members of the ruling party, did not have the legitimacy to elect Kavelashvili as president.
She also called for new elections. The European Parliament said the October vote was “neither free nor fair”.
Georgia has experienced a year of political upheaval. On December 14 last year, people took to the streets in Tbilisi and other cities to celebrate the country gaining EU candidate status, a long-held dream for many in the small Caucasus nation of 3.8 million people.
But the authoritarian decline accelerated in May when, despite months of protests, parliament passed a law on foreign agents, dubbed the “Russian law” because of its parallels to Moscow’s methods of suppressing dissent.
NGOs warned that it was a tool to dismantle civil society, reflecting Russia’s practice of using the “foreign agent” label as a precursor to prosecution. Unlike Russia, organizations in Georgia have to register themselves, but most NGOs have refused to do so in protest.
The next flashpoint came in the October general election, when Georgian Dream received 54 percent of the vote. According to several observers, there were widespread violations on Election Day, including ballot stuffing, stolen IDs and “carousel voting” in which the same people voted at multiple polling stations. Opposition parties rejected the results, boycotted parliament and called for new elections.
Iraqi Kobakhidze, the DG-backed prime minister, announced in late November that Georgia was suspending EU accession negotiations and promised to revisit the issue in 2028 so that the country could join “with dignity.”
The protests grew in intensity and led to an unprecedented police crackdown that left dozens hospitalized and hundreds arrested.
“Cracks appeared in the system when people turned against Georgian Dream and saw their neighbors and family members being beaten – that was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Tamar Chergoleishvili, an opposition politician and former media manager.
Elene Khoshtaria, leader of Droa! (It’s Time!), part of the Liberal coalition that came second in the general election according to official results, called the opposition “a national resistance movement.”
“It’s not about what party you like. “It’s about whether you and your children can continue to live in this country in some degree of peace,” she said.
For some opposition politicians, the country’s descent into authoritarianism was no surprise.
“I have been saying for over a decade that Ivanishvili is heading toward Yanukovych (former pro-Russian President of Ukraine Viktor),” said Giga Bokeria, a former national security adviser. “The speed and certain curve shapes may surprise me, but not the curve itself.”
Kornely Kakachia, director of the Georgian Institute of Politics in Tbilisi, said the ruling party was taking a risk by increasing its repression of civil society.
“The more they oppress people, the more they go out,” he said. “Georgians will not tolerate this. Too many people are fed up with Ivanishvili.”
